The present invention relates generally to the field of secure electronic information distribution, archiving and retrieval systems, in particular, to a method and system for integrating electronic mail, electronic mail links and secure online web sites for enabling communication and information exchange.
Electronic mail and other forms of electronic exchange of information have become a common form of communication for individuals and entities, including businesses for internal as well as external correspondence. Oftentimes, attachments and large amounts of information may be conveyed electronically with electronic mail for convenience, affordability and speed. Businesses have come to rely on electronic information exchange as a method for communicating valuable, time sensitive or even privileged information on a regular basis.
Traditionally, delivery of electronic mail with attachments may be slow and the attachments may be difficult to access. In addition, security of information may be compromised through traditional electronic information exchange methods. Individuals may be wary about electronically sending important, privileged or confidential documents. Moreover, when a recipient receives and opens an attachment, such as a document, for example, it is very easy for a recipient to make alterations, either intentionally or inadvertently, thereby compromising the authenticity of the document.
Any one business may have many different entities with which to communicate on a regular basis through documented correspondence. Traditional paper updates may become overly burdensome and difficult to manage. Redistribution may also be difficult and inefficient for a business with various levels of management and many separate departments or divisions. There may be instances where an attachment or document may require modification or conversion prior to any redistribution due to inclusion of privileged or secret information in the attachment or the document. Additionally, the more business relationships with different entities any one business has, the more burdensome the correspondence process becomes.
While a notice may be given to a recipient indicating that a relevant communication has been received, such notice may merely inform the recipient that relevant information may exist. The recipient may still be required to search and/or navigate through a sender""s web site or other user interface to gain access to the relevant communication. The recipient of the notice may also be required to provide a password and/or to engage in another authorization or registration process in order to gain access to the relevant communication. In addition, banners, advertisements and/or other information at the sender""s web site may be distracting and provide little viewing space to the recipient for viewing the relevant communication.
These and other drawbacks exist with current methods and systems.
Advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be understood from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
This invention, in one aspect, includes a method for secure electronic information distribution, archiving and retrieval comprising the steps of identifying one or more information bulletins for distribution to one or more intended recipients; converting each information bulletin to a bulletin format wherein the bulletin format restricts modifications to the information bulletin; placing each information bulletin in the bulletin format in an archive at a site wherein the information bulletin is accessible by a bulletin link wherein each bulletin link is a randomly generated address; sending a bulletin notification notifying the one or more intended recipients of availability of the one or more information bulletins wherein the bulletin notification comprises an associated bulletin link for each information bulletin; and enabling the one or more intended recipients to access the one or more information bulletins through the associated bulletin links.
In another aspect, the invention includes a system for secure electronic information distribution, archiving and retrieval. The system comprises identification means for identifying one or more information bulletins for distribution to one or more intended recipients; conversion means for converting each information bulletin to a bulletin format wherein the bulletin format restricts modifications to the information bulletin; placement means for placing each information bulletin in the bulletin format in an archive at a site wherein the information bulletin is accessible by a bulletin link wherein each bulletin link is a randomly generated address; sending means for sending a bulletin notification notifying the one or more intended recipients of availability of the one or more information bulletins wherein the bulletin notification comprises an associated bulletin link for each information bulletin; and access means for enabling the one or more intended recipients to access the one or more information bulletins through the associated bulletin links.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.